Lateral Drift

Today I realized a strange consequence of our system of economics.  I had an unfortunate night about a month ago where my cellphone was stolen.  I now have to go and buy a new one whereas if this had not happened I obviously would not.  The crook wins and my consumerism helps the ecomomy.  I guess it works out that if more people just get their cellphones stolen we can give the country a much needed boost.

Well, I am reaching almost the one year mark in my online experience and that means time to pay the bills.  I am debating whether or not to continue on with the adventure or call it quits.  What do you guys (gals) think?

“…we can only relate to people with guesswork, with indirect perception.  And as soon as we talk, we can only ever generalise.  Our entire system of communication is only generalisation.”

-Buddha-Nature – Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Over the course of the summer I have reinvigorated my love for the game of chess.  I have played most of my life, never really at that high of a level, but always with enjoyment.  I have learned many things along the way and thought it could prove useful to those of you who also enjoy the game to add some of the finds I have discovered.

First off, if you play online at Yahoo, stop!  I too at one time played there but unless you don’t mind rampant glitches and the absence of any tools I would recommend switching to FICS.  It is fairly simple to do and once you have gotten used to the downloaded interface I think you would be hard pressed to want to return to Yahoo.  You can try it out at www.freechess.org.

Next up, ChessGames.com.  I think it would be best to describe this site as a internet archive of chess games.  You can study openings through their opening explorer and view high level games from a variety of different positions.  The features this site offers are numerous and is likely a bookmark for many studious chess players like myself.

Vlogging, or video blogging is fast becoming a trend, and it is easy to see why.  Chess learning has never been easier when you can watch 30-60 minute lessons from the comfort of your computer chair.  Chess Videos TV which is for the most part a subscriber website still offers hours of free video from highly rated players.  Albeit, most videos are addressed to competitive play and can prove to be hard to follow at times, it will push your understanding of the game.

A fellow blogger, alias Jrobi, has also made a nifty resource for chess as he has documented his progress of developing his chess skill into neat little videos.  The videos are much lighter than those you will find over at Chess Videos yet still instructive.  His postings have become more sporadic and fewer but if you are new to his site the archives should provide enough content to keep anyone entertained for some time.  You can find his site www.jrobichess.com.

Finally, those those who want to take their chess abilities to the next level, endgame study is an absolute must.  Most books I have browsed on the subject bored me to death but I did come across one in my local library that is a gem!  It’s called Silman’s Complete Endgame Course and it is hand’s down the best book I have seen on the matter.  It has a very fluid layout and begins with problems that are for those of very low ability and works all the way up to advanced competitive play, building throughout on skills you pick up from previous sections.  It will likely end up being a purchase I make when my disposable income is more bountiful!

I hope this has proved to be useful to those interested in chess.  I know that finding good sources of information these days is always a delicate art and time consuming.

This is an announcement to all of those who are still here; in the empty halls of what has become my blog.  After months of neglect, I have come back to give writing some posts another shot.  I received my notice for renewal of my hosting service and decided that continuing with my blogs would be better than the alternative.  I hope to be bringing more randomness to you in the near future; maybe with some guest writers!